I had the chance to interview CJ this weekend and ask him some candid questions about his college recruitment and family life/history. I found his story to be one of hard work, perseverance, and a loving family life.
This is what he told me.
First of all, tell me about the gold cleats.
In my opinion Gold represents money and when it comes to football the end zone means money, so money plus money equals more money. Plus, I like to look different out there. You look good you play good.
You have a great family support system, describe a typical day in the Hayes’ household.
Depends on what day it is. We usually have a good routine, when it comes to football every Sunday evening we usually go over film from that past Friday game.. My dad was a baseball coach for 18 years and plus he won 2 state football titles when he played at Dollarway High in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. My mom and Dad support me like no other, without them I would be lost. Blessed to have both supportive parents.
Your Dad went to Ark Pine Bluff and your mom went to WKU, how did you guys end up in Tennessee, and then Kentucky?
My mom and dad both use to be store managers with Walmart. My mom wanted to get a little closer to her parents (my Grandparents) in Tennessee. Before Tennessee we use to live in Mississippi. It was a hard choice for the family because we really loved it in Mississippi. My grandparents (my mom’s parents) both passed away from cancer about 2 months apart. So my dad and mom decided to move to KY. We actually live in Franklin, KY and when we first moved here my dad decided that we would go to school back in Nashville but it would be to hard to travel on a daily basis. I use to go to a private school in Nashville called Franklin Road Academy and the education standards were a lot different.
During my last baseball game in TN, we played a travel team from Bowling Green, KY called the Bearcats. My dad and I had a good relationship with that organization, and this is how I met Ryder (Litton) who is our (South Warren’s) Quarterback. My dad said he thought my mom would want to move to KY when my grandparents died so he started to do his homework. He found out that you could apply to go to school at South Warren from Ryder’s Dad, Jeff. My dad and Jeff spoke a lot and Ryder and I were friends because of baseball, so the decision to attend South Warren was pretty easy. That’s how and why we ended up at South Warren.
South Warren is 9-0 charging into the playoffs and playing as a cohesive unit, what is your role on the team and tell me how you prepare in order to maintain your high level of performance. Are you a film guy, a gym guy, both? How much f the game is mental, how much is physical for you?
My role on the team is simple and that is to make plays in all 3 phases (offense, defense and special teams) of the game. I prepare for the game by watching film with my dad, coaching staff and then analyzing it myself independently. I see things on the field before they happen. I really am a good student of the game, and I study a lot. I treat football like a class, in order to be successful in the classroom you must study. Same goes for the football field. I am a film and a gym guy, so I love doing both. I really think football is 60% mental and 40% physical. It’s all about the preparation.
You seem to be asked to perform a lot of different roles for South Warren, tell me what it’s like to never come off the field and leave it all out there for your teammates and coaches every game.
I know they depend on me and that’s a good feeling. I’m a playmaker, In order for me to make plays I need to be on the field. I don’t have any siblings, so I view by teammates as my brothers and I give my all for my family. I see my dad still has a close relationship with his former teammates and I like that as well. I want to look back years from now and share stories about us winning state titles just like my dad.
If I asked Coach Smith, what is CJ’s best attribute, what does he need to work on, what would his answer be?
Coach Smith would say first I’m a respectful, hardworking student of the game. My best attributes would be the ability to make plays. He would say I need to be more patient sometimes because I get anxious and I want things to happen now.
It’s been noted that you’re a standout baseball player, are you still planning on pursuing baseball? To what extent?
What’s confusing is that I love baseball and football. My dad and I have talked to several major league teams (St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox), several colleges (Cincinnati, Indiana State, Richmond) about playing baseball. There have been several youth league travel teams that have reached out to my dad about playing for them but they are in Louisville and Cincinnati. I used to play for a travel team in Nashville but really couldn’t make a lot of those tournaments due to football. I plan on competing in a lot of football camps around the time baseball season rolls around so I will only play baseball for South Warren during that season in order to train for the football camps. With a lot of prayer, the baseball and football thing will work itself out. What I think will happen is that I will end up going to college as a football player, and the coaches will find out about my baseball skills and ask me to play baseball as well.
Going into your senior year, what have you been doing to prepare for football camps coming up this summer.
I am going to work out with my personal trainer a lot more and not play travel baseball. I want to run a 4.4 or even a 4.3 in the 40 if possible, plus work on my hips to keep them loose and flexible. As a receiver, loose hips will allow me to get in and out of my routes, as a defensive back, I’ll be able to turn and run with the receivers more.
You are a 6’2” 195-pound athlete that threatens to change the scoreboard anytime you touch the ball, are you frustrated that you haven’t received the offers from schools that you other players like you have received?
My name is just now emerging but to be honest, it is frustrating that I haven’t received any offers on paper. I have had some great camps, I have the size and have the ability to catch the football plus I can defend as well. I’ve decided to focus on my speed. I usually run a 4.5, but I’m working on getting that down to a 4.4 or 4.3 (forty-yard dash). At last year’s Kentucky summer camp, I was clocked at 4.57 but I usually run a 4.5 when I’m training all the time. Looking back at it maybe I went to too many camps in a row. But I realize now I need to focus more on my speed, and train accordingly. Two things you can’t teach are size and speed. I have the size, now I just need to get even faster. I know God has a place for me, and if I keep working hard, the offers will come.
Tell me about what it means to have your family’s support and what it has been like putting in so many hours traveling to all the schools you have visited?
Like I stated earlier, without my families support I would be lost. My parents are trying to let me become my own man. We have been to several schools since the start of football season including: Cincinnati, Western Kentucky, Louisville, University of Kentucky, Ole Miss, Indiana, and Tennessee. We are also planning to go back to several of them again. Those schools along with others are very interested in me and we are interested in them as well. We also plan to visit Arkansas, Duke, University of Virginia, and Florida State. We were scheduled to visit Arkansas but in order for us to get there on time, we would have to leave at Midnight and I didn’t want my parents to do that, but we will make it out there eventually.
I like going to the visits, I feel like it shows them that I want to be apart of them. My parents and I, would like to thank all of the schools that have reached out, thanks for allowing me to be apart of your family.
What campus visit(s) stand out the most to you?
Looking at the schools I have visited all of them stand out in their own way. I will sum it up, not in any order:
Cincinnati—they talk a lot about education plus the student section is amazing.
Ole Miss—the student section is off the chain.
University of Kentucky ---- the student section plus overall atmosphere was super.
Indiana, Louisville, and Tennessee---- have great fan bases.
Western Kentucky ---- good atmosphere close to home.
Do you have a top school you are hoping to play for, and if so why?
Of course I have my top schools I would love to play for but I really think I should wait to announce that at a later time. The one thing I would say about this is education would play a big part of it. One school that we visited said something to me that has really stuck. “One day someone is not going to want to coach you anymore.” That had a big impact on me.
Are you open to playing any position at the college level or is your heart set on one position?
In my heart I feel like am a big time receiver, but I love playing defense back as well. I’m willing to do either to get to the next level (NFL). That is my dream.
What is a school/coaching staff getting when they sign CJ Hayes?
Simple, a winner someone who strives for excellence and won’t cause any problems.
Is there anything else that you want the college coaches out there to know about you?
Yes, I am a very respectful, coachable, and hardworking athlete that has high character on and off the field. And I’m not afraid of the weight and class room.
We will keep in touch with CJ and his family as his recruitment continues.
